Learning their Name

Hi everyone. So Pancake is 10 weeks old now and he is a little stubborn butt. lol I am working on come and trying to get him to learn his name so he associates me calling him with coming to me as well. He does not seem to get it though. I will call and call him but he just ignores me. If I tell him to come it usually is the same. If I show him a treat he usually will come, but I feel like he is just running towards me because of the treat not because of the command. Any suggestions on this aspect of training. I tried keeping the leech on him, but he just likes to chew on it and he tends to trip over it as well. That or he just sits and ignores my gentle tugs.

When training him I call his name several times until I see him look at me. Then I give him the treat and say his name several more time trying to keep his eyes on mine as he eats it. For come I usually put him on the other side of the room and call him from the other. I say both his name and come and usually tap my hands against the ground rapidly.

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Permalink Reply by Bev Levy on May 21, 2012 at 7:10am

At 10 weeks he is still an infant. Try making yourself more interesting by using a very enthusiastic voice and maybe hop a little backwards while calling. Only treat when he comes over. A baby/puppy is more likely to come if you are moving away. Also, when he is coming over to you (to eat or play) be sure to call. Never, ever use his name for punishment. Be patient it will take some maturing on his part for him to get this. I have never been a fan of chasing games with my dogs because I think it confuses them with the recall. Just be as fun as possible right now!

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Permalink Reply by Jane on May 21, 2012 at 9:40am

He's still very young to be expected to know these commands. I would avoid repeating commands so much, and only use the word "come" if you have a leash on him and can actually reinforce it. Saying it over and over and letting him dawdle off in the other direction just teaches him that coming to you is optional. He probably doesn't even understand what "come" means yet.

Right now I'd be using some really yummy treats, letting him see what you have, and then calling his name and getting him to come to you. Once he's running full blast your direction, THEN use the word "come". He needs to associate that coming to you gets him something really awesome. He's way too young to be expected to come to you just because you said so, IMO.

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Permalink Reply by Chris, Kadi & Brodie on May 21, 2012 at 11:47am

It only took Kadi about 24 hours to learn her name from us. She had been called something else by the breeder. We just made a real effort to use her name EVERY time we talked to her. We talk to our animals all the time around here, btw. So be sure to use his name a lot. Not just when you are giving him directions, but just in normal conversation with him. For instance, "Good morning, Pancake! How's my Pancake today? I hope Pancake's a happy boy this morning!" Brodie, the stray that showed up and obviously had another name that we didn't know, learned his name in just a few hours with us doing this. I think it's very important to carry on conversations with your dogs, especially puppies, to engage them in what is going on and what you are wanting from them.